


broken glass & burning candles

by Miraphina Atherton (mew_tsubaki)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, a cute friendship or smthg more set in the Trio era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-14 21:35:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19281631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mew_tsubaki/pseuds/Miraphina%20Atherton
Summary: Binns was a history man, and the Fat Lady had a history to sing.





	broken glass & burning candles

**Author's Note:**

> The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me. Read, review, and enjoy!

The students thought he never left his classroom, which was preposterous. He could explore the castle; he just rarely left his room to do so. History of Magic was his passion, his subject, his love, and Professor Binns didn't need anything more than that.

He also frankly knew everything there was to know about the castle. He knew all about the ghosts, the stairs, the floors, the suits of armor, the portraits—they were all the same to him.

While drifting in the stairwell, he happened by a gaudily dressed woman in a painting. She was quiet and rude; she stared at everything in sight.

"You are the Fat Lady, correct?" he asked more out of boredom than general interest.

"I am," she replied sweetly.

"Why are you staring out into space?"

"I'm not," she corrected with a shake of her head, the laurel crown on her head jostling. "I'm people-watching."

"…what?"

"I'm people-watching. You wouldn't want to know everything about some of our students, trust me."

Binns left, figuring his time was better spent not being in the presence of a gossip.

But his memory was shot for everything that wasn't in his beloved history books. So when he next ventured into the stairwell in passing, there she was again.

This second time around, the Fat Lady's clothing was even more abominable, and the leaves in her hair seemed woven into her locks. But she was people-watching again. And a glass was in her hand this time. "Good day, professor," she greeted.

"…hello." He ignored his curiosity over the glass—but she guessed he had a question on the tip of his tongue.

"I'm practicing my singing," she excitedly burst. "Here, take a listen—"

"That's quite all right," Binns interrupted, and he floated away. Huh. He had never interrupted someone quite like that before.

The Fat Lady didn't seem offended, though. In the times that he glided by, she hummed or spoke to him, completely unfazed. The best conclusion to which Binns could come was that she merely appreciated the company.

As for him…it didn't matter. He didn't need company. He'd died alone with his books and candles, after all. He didn't need any company.

But maybe he needed a bit of music in his post-life.

**Author's Note:**

> XD GREAT! C'mon, isn't that great? Because that's a truly weird pairing, a romance between a ghost and a portrait. I really wanna write more for them…!
> 
> Thanks for reading, and please review!
> 
> -mew-tsubaki ;D
> 
> 2017 note: Ladybinns ended up being one of my more charming pairings to come out in 2011, IMO… *lol* They're cute. XD


End file.
